The Greatest Battleship Ever : USS Iowa for The DRMA Summer Bash

The Greatest Battleship Ever : the USS Iowa – has played an historic role in winning many wars , and is know as the Battleship of Presidents ! The DRMA Organization – which is a major Marketing and Advertising organization – had its annual Summer Bash Party right aboard The iconic Battleship USS Iowa, which is always one of the biggest parties of the year ! Our TV station , and Execs from our TV programs : Entertainment Today , and Entertainment & Sports Today on Spectrum, was very honored to again be invited aboard this Iconic Battleship for The DRMA Party. We had been aboard The USS Iowa back in 2012 for its final Voyage to San Pedro , and for The Grand Opening of The USS Iowa Floating Museum in LA Harbor. The DRMA party had the USS Iowa Kissing Statue aboard for people to take photos with , which is based on that famous iconic couple in New York’s Times Square that had kissed on V Day , to celebrate victory when The US won World War II. That historic photo is one of the most remembered photo from any war :

The video is a segment from The DRMA Summer Bash, and below are photos and stories from those other events of 2012, and a brief history of The USS Iowa.

Built in 1940, the USS Iowa saw four decades of action through World War 2, the Korean War and the Cold War. Launched in 1942, commissioned in 1943, the battleship Iowa (BB-61) was the lead ship of a class of four battleships – the largest and last big gun vessels built by the United States. Today, 70 years later, the ship is permanently docked at San Pedro :

Nearly three football fields long and more than 14 stories high, the Iowa is one of the biggest warships ever built. On its last trip to San Francisco, sailors had to trim its mast by 13 feet to fit under the Golden Gate Bridge.

The Iowa’s record is storied. During World War II, it carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic to Casablanca en route to a crucial 1943 meeting in Tehran with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet leader Josef Stalin. It is the only U.S. Navy battleship with a bathtub — an amenity installed for Roosevelt, along with an elevator to shuttle him between decks.

Known as the “Ship of Presidents” – due to all the US Presidents and world leaders that were all on this Battleship at historic events. “Unlucky Friday”: Franklin D. Roosevelt delayed the sailing of the USS Iowa to convey him to the “Tehran Conference” until after midnight on Friday, Nov. 5, 1943, because he thought Friday was unlucky. Actually, the Iowa left Thursday, Nov. 11, to take him to Casablanca, Morocco. He went to Cairo and Tehran later in the month, then back to the USA in December. Lore has it that FDR was uncomfortable with 13s, not Fridays. Below is from July 2nd, 1986 when President Reagan was aboard the Iowa in New York Harbor for a Navel Review :

The battleship USS Iowa : 1942 to 2012 : a storied vessel that languished for years in the U.S. Navy’s mothball fleet, began its final journey Saturday, May 26, 2012, from San Francisco Bay to reach Southern California. Four tugboats guided the Iowa under the Golden Gate Bridge at 3 p.m. and out of the bay. One of them, the 7,200-horsepower Warrior, chugged down the coast with the massive ship in tow, taking about four days to reach Southern California , see photos below :

On June 2nd 2012 , our news crew was very honored to be aboard the USS Iowa for it’s final voyage as it entered through Angels Gate, to Los Angeles Harbor, to its permanent home as a floating museum in the Port of Los Angeles. There were a few survivors in their 90’s that actually fought in WW II aboard the Iowa, that were with us on this special day, along with political leaders, VIPS , and celebrities. During this historic final voyage there was a big party with many current and retired military and Navy people. At the end of the voyage we were very honored to be given a commemorative medal for this very special day for The USS Iowa ! See below photo as 1000’s of people on the shores , and all along the coastlines , that took photos, and waved to The Iowa:

On July 7th, 2012 our news team was again honored to be invited back again for the very first day of The USS Iowa as a permanent floating museum in San Pedro Harbor. On this grand opening day of this incredible museum , we were able to tour the ship from top to bottom. If you look carefully at the below photo , you can see our cameraman – Richard Marcella: below The “S” , and to the left of one of the guns , with his cap turned backwards- so he could film the Iowa ! :

Below are more photos from the Grand Opening on July 7th , 2012 :

USS Missouri and USS Iowa, built and launched during WWII was the last of the big guns battleships of the US Navy. With precision guided-missile technology of the modern warfare, there’s no need for such gigantic battleships anymore.

The best and most powerful weapon in history – battleship USS “Iowa” , and now the mothballed, mighty Iowa, one of the world’s best-known and most powerful battleships, is permanently berthed as a tourist attraction in Los Angeles on the San Pedro waterfront.